Turn Your Planning Skills into a Career with Event Management

When a company, promoter, or individual is planning an event, it can be a stressful time. You want everything to go smoothly to ensure that everyone has a great time so they come back for future events. And, of course, you want to be profitable. To help lessen the stress of executing a perfectly planned event are professionals who specialize in the field of Event Management. Whether planning a huge outdoor concert or a wedding, the event manager applies the same techniques to guarantee a successful event.

The job of an event manager may include planning just one aspect of the event or the entire function. If a client hires event management for the entire event, the job starts with the marketing aspect. That means, studying the brand, identifying the target audience and then executing product launches, press conferences and online campaigns as promotion. Then comes the “early stage” of event management planning, which involves site surveying, budget drafting, cash flow management, scheduling, site design, technical design and health and safety aspects. After the initial stage, event management also takes care of key aspects during the event itself. This includes: logistics, sound, audio-video, lighting, crowd management and security. Event planning is clearly a multi-faceted career!

The growth of festivals and events as an industry is fueling the demand for professionals who specialize in event management. Therefore, event managers may work on functions ranging from concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres, fashion shows, and commercial events to private events such as weddings and birthday parties. Due to the scope of the event management industry, professionals should be creative, versatile, technical and logistical thinkers.

To help you gain the upper hand in the competitive event management industry, Centennial College offers its Event Management – Festival and Conference program. The undertaking is one year in length and results in a Graduate Certificate. The academic approach of the program is rather traditional with courses on risk and security management, site logistics and operations management as well as volunteer and team building coordination and more. Meanwhile, the practical application of the program is unique, as Centennial College houses one of the largest full-service conference facilities in Ontario. The conference centre gives students the opportunity to practice everything they’ve learned in a classroom and to encounter the challenges commonly seen in the Event Management arena. With experienced faculty training the students, employers have built a solid relationship with Centennial College and are committed to hiring program graduates. This allows students to be confident that they will find work in this exciting sector of the hospitality business.

When applying for the Event Management – Festival and Conference program, students should take note of some prerequisites. Applicants must submit an official transcript, demonstrating proof of successful completion of a post-secondary diploma or degree program. Event management College will also consider applicants presenting a combination of partial post-secondary education and relevant work experience, open to all disciplines. Non-academic perquisites include proof of transcript and a resume review.